On Friday, the Black Wings Linz won the follower duel of the Erste Bank Ice Hockey League (EBEL). The Linz team beat the KAC 4:2 at home and came close to the second-placed Klagenfurtern in the table with three points. The gap to the 2-0 win over Zagreb for the fifth time in a row is 14 points.
Markus Peintner’s debut as head coach in Bozen/Bolzano did not go beyond one point. The Villacher had to admit defeat to the HCB Südtirol 1:2 after extra time and are still in the last third of the standings. Like Linz, the HC Innsbruck also landed the third victory in series with a 5:2 against the Graz 99ers.
The people of Linz set the course for victory early on in the round’s hit song. Corey Locke (1st), Rick Schofield and Brian Lebler (both 4th) met in the first 200 seconds. Lebler advanced with his 175th birthday. Score for the Black Wings as the club’s only goalscorer. The 29-year-old, who also leads the EBEL 20 goal shooting list, surpassed Philipp Lukas (174).
After Thomas Hundertpfund (14/PP) and Marco Richter approached the KAC 2:3, Joel Broda made the decision (59th) in a remarkable manner from the blue line. For the Carinthians, a series of seven games ended without defeat, but they are still the first pursuers of the capital.
The front runner from Vienna paid off with his 20th birthday. Season’s victory in the 25th. Play the last blank spot on his EBEL”map”: Zagreb was the only team against which the capitals had not yet won this season. They had the first seasonal duel with the league returnee on 26. October with 1:4 lost.
The revenge came thanks to Rafael Rotter. The 30-year-old was twice successful in the middle period. Rotter first scored after a blocked shot from Nikolaus Hartl (26.). Then he relegated in powerplay to Jamie Fraser’s cross pass in the second attempt (34.). The capitals are in the league meanwhile 187 minutes and 49 seconds without conceding a goal.
The SAAM cannot claim that. The Villacher, who broke up with head coach Greg Holst on Sunday after their 4-2 defeat at home against Innsbruck, fought their way through the extra time in the first game under Peintner. Match winner for Bolzano, who celebrated his first victory under Neo coach Kai Suikkanen, was Chris DeSousa with two goals (5th, 64th). For the VSV Robert Flick was successful (12th) in Powerplay.
Innsbruck moved forward 5:2 against Graz. Tyler Spurgeon scored in a double pack (22/PP, 49/penalty). Oliver Setzinger (26th) and Jonathan Carlsson (38th) gave the Grazer only two goals. On Sunday (16.00 o’ clock) they have the chance to get revenge at home. The KAC gives guest performances in Salzburg, Linz in Bolzano. The Capitals receive Dornbirn.